Calcium ?

[MU8ST7ANG]

I have tested my cal 10 times now and even had Brian from ocean gallery test my cal. My reading with the salifert are off the chart I have more the 500ppm I would guess somewhewre in the 650ppm range. Question is this bad? Why is it so High I use reef crystals salt. I was putting purple up in but stopped and the reading is still that high.

 

[MU8ST7ANG]

Also my alk is at 7.4 does this seam low considering my calcium is so high

 

[knockout]

Also my alk is at 7.4 does this seam low considering my calcium is so high

must likely your alk is low because your calcium is too high, a high concentration of either component (alkalinity/calcium) will make the other precipitate(drive the concentration low)

here is a good article about it.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/rhf/feature/index.php

if you are dosing calcium stop and continue testing until the value has fallen within the acceptable range 400-450ppm, also continue to monitor the alkalinity (and maybe dose small amounts) and see if the value begins to raise and stabilize, once you have the calcium leveled off at a desired range begin dosing small amounts and testing a few hours later and before you dose again and gauge how much you need to dose up or down.

 

[MU8ST7ANG]

I stopped dosing a week ago and it hasnt dropped at all. below are all my parameters

nitrite 0
nitrate 0
ammonia 0
ph 8.7
alk 7.5
cal 620-650 ppm

 

[knockout]

are there corals in the tank? is there a calcium or kalkwasser reactor....? which test kit are you using? and have you use a second test kit?

 

[MU8ST7ANG]

I have some montis in the tank that are growing like crazy. I also have gsp but we know that would grow in your toilet if need be.

I used a salifert test kit that is branch new and then i used a lesser kit and they both came up with the same things

 

[Jcurry@wesketch]

I would do a few 30% water changes over the next week and then retest.

 

[knockout]

I would do a few 30% water changes over the next week and then retest.

also test the freshly made water before you're ready to add to the tank and record the params

 

[Boomer]

I was putting purple up in but stopped and the reading is still that high. [/n]

That is more than likely is it right there. PU can cause some awful funny readings in high Alk and Ca++ at times. Often it is both that are high but more normally it is just the Alk.


That tank should be a clouded mess and that pH says even so even more so with 8.7. There is not way you can have that Ca++ 620-650, pH 8.7 and Alk 7.8 without a clouded tank, aka Snow Storm. To me it is all the PU messing things up big time. What happens is the suspended PU gets into the test vial and raise hell with the reagents. I'll bet if you took a glass of this water and let it set for 48 hrs undisturbed and then removed a sample off the very top, with a syringe, you would see a huge difference in the test results

Jcurry has the proof in the pudding, do a test on a fresh mix.